Converge – Talk About Upcoming New Album
The following article was originally posted over at MTV.com:
CONVERGE don’t ascribe to the old punk axiom “kill your idols” they just think you should maim them a bit. The Boston band’s upcoming album No Heroes is a harsh declaration of individuality that stems in part from being called pioneers of a wave of post-hardcore and metalcore outfits.
“Any time we see our name associated with a band as a selling point, we bum out,” singer Jacob Bannon said, shortly after CONVERGE finished touring as part of this year’s Sounds of the Underground tour. “You should make your own way. Do something interesting. Have your actual art speak for itself.”
CONVERGE’s music doesn’t just speak for itself it roars like a 6 a.m. wakeup call from a jackhammer. Other bands may be as loud or discordant, but few are as gloriously unhinged. The group’s No Heroes, which comes out October 24, is more straightforward than 2004’s You Fail Me, but it’s also heavier. Whether trading off between lumbering riffs and punishing blast beats (”Heartache“), combining tumbling rhythms with FUGAZI-style screams (”Trophy Scars“) or dragging melancholy textures and melodic vocals through a scalding sea of tar (”Grim Heart/ Black Rose“), CONVERGE are consistently more innovative and unsettling than most of their contemporaries.
“There are so many bands that are so loud but say absolutely nothing,” Bannon said. “When I was a kid and I skated every day, when you saw someone like that, you called them a poser. They walk the walk but don’t talk to talk, and I see so much of that in today’s music scene. It’s really discouraging because I’m a music lover and a listener.”
One reason No Heroes is so crushing and urgent, Bannon says, is because the band didn’t over-think things in the studio. Sure, over the past year, the band was meticulous about writing the new songs, but when it was time to record, many of the tunes were tracked in their entirety in just one or two takes.
“We really don’t like putting too many things together on a computer or a tape machine if we don’t have to,” Bannon said. “We’re all about the live, organic feel and there’s an amazing energy that comes forth when you record like that.”
Another way CONVERGE kept No Heroes undiluted was by keeping everything in the family. Instead of hiring a producer, they put their faith in guitarist Kurt Ballou, who works as a professional producer and engineer when he’s not with CONVERGE.
“We’ve always practiced in his studio, but now we recorded there as well,” Bannon said. “We just figured if lots of other bands can come to him for guidance, then we should trust him as well. And it worked out great. There was no pressure and no deadlines. We just did it all ourselves.”
Despite their challenging sound, CONVERGE who always seem to be on the road have cultivated a loyal following over the years. And while their music probably won’t bring them the kind of success enjoyed by the dozens of bands they’ve inspired, Bannon says that, as long as they can keep their audiences happy, that’s perfectly fine with them.
“We know we’re not easy to digest,” Bannon said. “We’re a band that you need to spend time with to really understand what we are. Without that, we’re a big barrage of noise. And as long as some people know there’s a little bit more to us than that, we’ll keep doing what we’re doing.”
CONVERGE will be on tour with MASTODON and THE BRONX this fall, starting September 6 in Baltimore, with dates scheduled through September 30 in San Diego.
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